Braves' Gattis to land on DL

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Atlanta Braves will place catcher Evan Gattis on the 15-day disabled list after an MRI confirmed the slugger has a bulging thoracic disk.

Gattis, 27, has missed the last four games with what was originally diagnosed as a right rhomboid spasm. He left last Friday's win over Philadelphia in the first inning with back discomfort.

"Initially, it just kind of hurt to breathe and stuff like that, so I've got some kind of relief knowing I've got an answer," Gattis said.

Gattis, who was out of baseball before signing with Atlanta and appearing in 105 games as a rookie last season, is having a breakout year in 2014. He's tied for the team lead with a .290 batting average and 16 home runs, while also driving in 39 runs.

Atlanta's second-ranked prospect Christian Bethancourt was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on June 28 to provide depth at catcher while Gattis is out. The Braves will still need to make a corresponding move for placing Gattis on the DL on Tuesday.